Wilmington firefighters light flames of hope

The smell of your favorite meal – lasagna or spicy chili for me – coming from the kitchen.

The sound of Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" coming out of the speakers just as you hit an open country road with rolling hills.

The sight of a puppy licking a smiling, giggling kid's face.

Another thing that's always made me feel good is getting a new coat for the winter. I remember one year in my younger punk days, I got a pea coat and engineer boots. I felt like I ruled the world.

A self-absorbed teen, it didn't cross my mind at the time that there were thousands of less fortunate people, many of them children, who had never experienced that feeling. They had never put on a new winter coat that was all their own, zipped it up and admired themselves in the mirror.

But thanks to an effort by the Wilmington Fire Department, Firefighters Local 1590 and monetary donations from you, dozens of needy children in the city were able to experience that feeling last year and will hopefully again this year.

The firefighters have partnered with Operation Warm and will be holding a fundraiser Sunday at the Blue Rocks game at Frawley Stadium as part of Firefighter Appreciation Day. Firefighters and a firetruck will be out front, and information will be available about this year's fundraising efforts.

(Photo: John J Randolph/Wilmington Fire Department)

The firefighters provided 100 new coats to children last year and hope to double that this year. To do it, they need help from us. The coats, which are all made in America and help support American jobs, cost about $32 each to make and ship. But any donation helps, according to Lt. Joe Leonetti Jr. of the Wilmington Fire Department and Local 1590.

A new coat provides more than warmth, according to Leonetti, who added, "a new coat is dignity and pride, core values we respect in the fire service and hope to promote to these children who too often develop low self-esteem."

An effort to be #delaproud of – and one you can join by donating.

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